When Heaven Burns
by Twilight Nexus
Summary: They have prepared for this for most of their young lives. Ready to leap into combat when the fragile peace finally shatters. But nothing can ever truly prepare you for when the fires of war consume the world. Rated M for violence, language, and sexual content.


It is complete chaos all around her.

"I got two behind me! I can't shake them!"

Both her breathing and heart rate reflect the panic consuming her.

"I'm out of missiles! Switching to guns!" 

Everywhere she looks at least ten enemy aircraft fill the sky. Their sheer number altogether overwhelming the young pilot's mind.

"I got a missile incoming! Deploying flares!"

Over and over again she tries to formulate a plan, any plan, but the situation only worsens faster then she can keep up.

"Reaper! We're getting our asses handed to is out here! We need to retreat!"

About all the pilot, Reaper, can do is listen to her wingmen's chatter over the comms. There is little else they can do, retreat is the only option they have-

"I'm hit! I'm hit!"

Reaper turns to her left in time to see a fellow F-22A Raptor jet in a spiraling nosedive while leaving a smoke trail behind it; enemy aircraft swarming it like carnivores on a fresh kill. Reacting quickly, Reaper dives down to fend off the enemy swarm, firing her vulcan cannons to pick off each aircraft she can.

Reaper opens her comm, ready to tell her flight to retreat, but is immediately silenced when the Raptor she is trying to save explodes before her very eyes. She can feel her eyes widen. With the comms still open, all of Beacon flight can hear their leader shout:

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Vale Airspace / 5,000 feet above

July 16th, 2018

3:30 PM

A military grade aircraft soars high across the summer sky. This aircraft is unique with it's red colored top and black underside as its color scheme, the tail fins in the back decorated with a black emblem of a burning rose. The jet itself is the advanced F-22A Raptor – an elite fighter jet known throughout the world for its stealth capabilities as well as a fighter with its arsenal of short and long range missiles stored in its internal bays.

Inside the cockpit, the pilot is wearing a black g-suit to assist against the g-forces on her body. Her head is completely covered with a red helmet, an oxygen mask, and a black visor. On said helmet is the pilot's codename, "Reaper", written in bold, black letters.

"Beacon One, this is Command, still getting nothing on radar. Continue to patrol the area in case the bogey reappears. How copy?"

Reaper opens comms.

"Solid copy, Command. We'll keep looking too. Beacon One, out."

After switching off comms, Reaper lets out a frustrated sigh. She and her flight have been in the sky for nearly an hour looking for an unknown aircraft that suddenly appeared in Vale airpspace and then vanish as quickly as it appeared. Because of the bogey's close proximity to Heima, Vale requested their ally to quickly scramble a flight to search and intercept the unknown intruder, thus leading to Reaper and her flight's current situation: searching blindly for something that very well can be long gone.

Reaper opens comms again, this time hailing her other wingmates.

"This is Reaper, have you guys spotted anything yet?"

"This is Frost, negative."

"Ninja, nothing."

"Boxer here, not a Dust damn thing."

"It's Knight, haven't seen anything so far."

"Amazon reporting, all clear."

"Thor here, disappointingly without a target."

"Shaolin reporting, no."

Reaper sighs again. Any hope for this to be over dashed just like that.

"I'M BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORED!" Thor whines over comms, electing a small chuckle from the red themed pilot.

"Orders are orders, Thor," Reaper responds. "We keep searching until said otherwise or we run low on fuel."

Thor's reaction is a very (im)mature raspberry.

"Ugh. What you see in her, Shaolin, I will never know," Frost adds in the conversation, agitation evident in her voice.

Shaolin chuckles in response before saying, "Thor can surprise you by her maturity. You just have to give her a chance."

"I'll believe it when I see it," is all Frost says back.

Reaper cuts in.

"Okay, okay, cut the chatter. We still have a bogey to find. Eyes sharp people!"

Frost, Thor, and Shaolin give their affirmatives and silence falls over comms.

Reaper returns her attention to the horizon before, scanning for anything that isn't a cloud. A good thirty minutes of nothing pass, making Reaper consider radioing Command to call it quits until-

"Contact!" Boxer shouts over comms.

Reaper checks her instruments for Boxer's location. After confirming her wingmate's location, she breaks hard right and quickly heads east. Reaper immediately opens comms and instructs her flight into action.

"Ninja, Reaper; you're closest to Boxer, fly over to provide assist! How copy?"

"Ninja, solid copy! Banking now!"

"Boxer, Reaper; what are we dealing with?!"

"Unknown model! White with a delta wing shape! It immediately broke for it when I spotted it! Currently pursuing!"

Reaper pushes her Raptor into full throttle, wanting to catch the bogey with Boxer and Ninja. The increase speed adds more pressure to Reaper's body who does her best to ward off and remain focused. She opens comms to report to Command.

"Command, Beacon One; Beacon Four has spotted the bogey and is currently pursuing! Unknown white delta wing aircraft! Requesting further instructions, how copy?!"

"Solid copy, Beacon One! Bogey is not answering hails! You have permission to engage! I repeat, you have permission to engage!"

"Copy that, Command!" Reaper acknowledges, switching comms to her wingmates.

"Boxer and Ninja, shoot that thing down!"

"Boxer, solid copy! Locking on now!"

"Ninja, solid copy! Still heading to Boxer's position! ETA: two mikes!"

Reaper opens the radio to the rest of her flight.

"Beacon flight, move in to assist! Weapons free!"

The rest of the flight confirms Reaper's order.

"I have a lock!" Boxer announces. "Fox two!"

Reaper waits for a second.

"Intruder deployed flares and is diving! I'm following!"

Reaper checks and sees she was close to Boxer now. Several more seconds later, and Reaper can see another Raptor in front of her, this one with a yellow top and white bottom, chasing the unknown aircraft in a high speed of cat and mouse.

As described by Boxer, the enemy is a streamlined delta wing shaped craft, colored a pale white to likely blend in with the clouds. The most noteworthy detail was the size of the craft, much smaller then any Raptor has seen before. Satisfied with her observations, Reaper hones in on her prey.

"Reaper, locking on target!"

Reapers listens as her HUD beeps, waiting for a lock. Her HUD confirms a lock.

"Fox Two!"

The enemy craft deploys flares and breaks left, the angle shocks Reaper.

"What the hell?!" Boxer shouts. "That angle should have killed the pilot!"

Reaper tries to pursue the enemy, but can only so much without the g-forces crushing her. The white intruder attempts to speed away before Boxer can get another lock.

"This is Ninja, I'm locking on to target!"

Reaper turns to her right, seeing Ninja's black top and purple bottom Raptor speeding to their location.

"Target locked! Fox Two!"

A missile launches from Ninja's Raptor, rocketing towards its intended target. The enemy tries to maneuver but Ninja's distance allows the rocket to easily match it. The sidewinder hits it's mark, the enemy craft explodes in a fiery blaze, chunks of debris quickly falling down to earth below.

"Direct hit!"

"YEAH!" Boxer cheers. "Nice shot, Ninja!"

"Thanks, Boxer."

Reaper grins, practically feeling Ninja's smirk of satisfaction over the radio.

"Command, Beacon One; successful downing of enemy craft. Sending crashsite coordinates now."

"Solid copy, Beacon One. We'll inform the Valeains and request a joint investigation into the craft. You are free to return to base. How copy?"

"Solid copy, Command!" Reaper gleefully responds, switching comms to her wingmates. "Reaper to Beacon flight, we've been relieved of duty! Time to head home!"

"Solid copy," Ninja answers.

"FINALLY!" Thor shouts out. "I was starting to get hemorrhoids!"

Frost's disgusted gag can be heard before saying, "Keep such filthy information to yourself, Thor!"

"Not my fault I've been sitting for who knows how long!" Thor counters playfully.

Reaper just shakes her head. "Frost, Thor, save it for when your groundside. Let's just get back to base. How copy?"

"Copy," Frost replies.

"Okey-dokey!" Thor chimes in.

Silence falls over the radio and Beacon flight begins to head back home. One by one the rest of Beacon flight fall into formation on each side of Reaper.

Looking to her right, Reaper spots the Raptors of Frost (her F-22A has a white top and blue bottom), Ninja, and Boxer. Like her, the three each have their own emblems on the tail-fins on their aircraft. Frost was a symmetrical snowflake; Ninja was a wispy flower; and Boxer a burning heart. Over to her left was the rest of Beacon flight, Knight with a yellow top and blue bottom F-22A, his emblem a large arc stacked on top of a smaller arc; Amazon with her red top and yellow bottom craft, her emblem a spear in front of a circular shield; Thor with perhaps the most flamboyant color scheme of pink on top and turquoise on bottom, her emblem a large hammer being struck by a lightning bolt; and then Shaolin cruising in his green top and white bottom Raptor, his emblem being simply a lotus flower.

This is her team, her wingmen: Beacon Flight, the best of the Order's Air Defense Force, maybe even the whole world, if Reaper allows herself to brag. To be the leader of such incredible pilots in such a prestige organization fills the young red colored pilot with pride every time.

Just over the horizon, Reaper spots their destination. In between two large mountain ranges rests and large MOB (main operating base) that also serves as a city, complete with skyscrapers and other large structures. Thankfully all the military facilities, including the Air Defense Force's airstrips, are distanced enough from one another to make living more comfortable for residents.

This is Reaper's and her flight's home: Heima, sanctuary of the Order.

"Beacon One, this is Heima Command, you'll be landing in twos on strips Alpha-Seven and Eight, over."

Reaper responds back.

"Copy that, Heima, over," Reaper switches comms to her flight. "Frost, Reaper, we're landing first. Then Ninja and Boxer, then Knight and Amazon, and then Thor and Shaolin. How copy?"

"Frost, solid copy."

"Ninja, solid copy."

"Boxer copies all!"

"Knight, solid copy."

"Amazon, solid copy."

"Thor copies all!"

"Shaolin, solid copy."

With that, Reaper and Frost break away from the formation. They circle the city once and descend to the two large runways. Reaper opens the landing gears and after a few minutes touches down. When her speeds are slow enough, Reaper parks her Raptor in a nearby hanger, Frost following soon after her.

Once parked, Reaper unbuckles herself and opens her cockpit. Reaper steps over the side, falling to the ground by bending her knees to mitigate her landing. At full height, Reaper looks to be five foot six inches tall, and removing her helmet reveals her facial features. A young woman with a pale complexion, Reaper is a young woman, likely in her early twenties, with short cut black hair and red highlights. Her eyes are rounded and colored silver, a rare trait she has been told.

The young pilot runs her hand through her short locks. As much as Reaper loves to fly, she absolutely hates helmet head. Shaking her head, Reaper looks to her side in time to see Frost land on the ground beside her Raptor. Having taken her helmet off already, Frost mirrors Reaper's actions and shakes her short white hair with her eyes closed. Frost opens her eyes, revealing their sky blue color, a great contrast to the scar over her left eye. Frost isn't that much taller then Reaper; maybe only two inches taller.

"Hey Weiss," Reaper greets Frost with a small wave. "You doing okay?"

"Hello Ruby," Weiss acknowledges back. "Nothing I cannot handle. I am more annoyed then anything else."

Reaper, or Ruby, returns her gaze to the airstrips. Seeing the black and purple Raptor already housed in the hanger next over, Boxer just moving her Raptor in said hanger.

Ruby looks back to Weiss, pointing to the next hanger over. "Shall we go and congratulate our girlfriends, Ms. Schnee?"

A small grin stretches across Weiss' face.

"An excellent idea, Lt. Cmdr Rose."

The two pilots walk side by side over to the next hanger, its main doors closing but the side door still open. Upon entering, Ruby immediately spots a tall woman with black hair, black cat faunus ears, and golden amber eyes in a black flight suit idly chatting with a blonde woman with lilac eyes in a yellow flight suit of her own. Ruby, feeling mischievous, hunches over and steps lightly over to the woman in black, Weiss merely shakes her head and stops to watch. Being sure to avoid the blonde woman's sight, Ruby nearly reaches her target. The crimsonette opens her arms, ready to pounce-

"Hello, Ruby."

Ruby pauses for three seconds and her arms slump to her sides. She hangs her head in disappointment, her sneak attack ruined. She looks up to see the woman looking back at her over her shoulder, a satisfied grin on her lips.

"You caught me, Blakey..." Ruby smiles.

Her target, Blake, turns fully to Ruby, her smirk not faltering. "I heard your footsteps from the door. I'll admit though, you're stealth is improving."

The red themed pilot stands erect. "Does this mean I don't get my kiss now?"

Blake's response is grabbing Ruby by her left hand, pulling her close, and capturing her lips in a kiss. The crimsonette returns the kiss, giving her full attention to the cat faunus.

"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The two lovers separate, turning their disgruntled looks to the blonde who has interrupted their moment. Said blonde looks at the two with the biggest shit-eating grin on her face. Ruby merely continues to glare daggers to the blonde.

"Really, Yang?"

"What?" the blonde, Yang, shrugs her shoulders innocently. "I can't be happy my baby sister is in love?"

Blake shakes her head. "Does 'being happy' involve embarrassing us in front of the technicians?"

The faunus pilot gestures to the technicians standing next to the Raptors, who quickly return to the work they were doing before. Yang just waves her hand at them.

"Just ignore them. Seriously though, I can't help but be happy for you two. Seeing my best friend and sister in love together warms the heart."

Neither Blake or Ruby appear amused. Sure, hearing Yang being accepting of their relationship brings the two much joy, but right now both are contemplating ways to wipe that smirk on the blonde pilot's face. The sounds of booted footsteps from behind grab the couple's attention, both turn to see Weiss stroll with an authoritative stride up to Yang, whom suddenly appears… nervous? Ruby couldn't quite put her finger on a name for Yang's sudden tense posture. Blake, on the other hand, grew the biggest cheshire cat grin across her features.

"Yang," Weiss greets the blonde, her arms folded and her expression blank.

"H-hey, Weiss… How uh… How you doing, love?"

"Any particular reason you would embarrass our flight leader in front of others, tarnishing our reputation and by extension tarnishing me?"

Ruby notes the authoritative tone Weiss is projecting in her voice. For some reason Yang tenses up even more, and Blake tries to choke back a chuckle.

"I'm just uh… Just… Just having fun with family, Weiss," Yang stutters. Her eyes remaining locked with the shorter white themed pilot.

"Oh?" Weiss steps closer to Yang. The shorter woman presses herself right against the blonde, slipping her right leg in between Yang's. "Fun with family, you say?"

Yang's eyes dilate, Ruby slowly beginning to understand why. Blake's shoulders are shaking in barely restrained mirth.

"Y-y-yeah..." Yang's stuttering is getting worse.

"If you consider Blake family," Weiss' voice still carries the tone of superiority but now a hint of seductiveness is laced within. "Then am I correct in assuming you consider me family as well?"

Weiss reaches up with her right hand to cup Yang's left cheek. She trails her fingertips down along the taller woman's jawline to her chin where she holds it in between her index finger and chin. The tension in Yang's body spreads to her legs, which seem to be trying to close but Weiss' leg keeps them separate. Yang's voice is barely above a whisper when she speaks again.

"Of course I do..."

Weiss smirks.

"So, this 'fun with family' would extend to me as well?"

Yang can only nod at this point.

"Good, then I'll be sure to remember this..." Weiss leans up to Yang. The white haired pilot nearly touching her lips to the blonde's, but stops a few centimeters before finishing with, "Tonight..."

Weiss breaks away from her dazed girlfriend, who whines at the lot of contact. Weiss walks past her flight leader with the most self-satisfying smile the red color pilot has possibly ever seen. Ruby's eyes are wide as saucers, rapidly turning her to both her second-in-command and her older sister while pointing at the one she isn't staring. The cat faunus next to her is slightly biting down on her left thumb, doing all she can to suppress her laughter.

Yang snaps out of her trance, looking around to see the technicians staring at her with expressions ranging from confusion, to smugness, to playfulness. All expressions disappear the minute Yang narrows her eyes and growls.

"What?! You all have somethin' to say!?"

The outburst manages to get the technicians eyes off of her and back onto their tasks. Rule number one when dealing with Yang Xiao Long: Never cross her when she is angry. Turning to the couple still in front of her, their expressions still the same, Yang lifts her right hand, index finger pointed to them.

"Not. One. Word." Yang says through clentched teeth.

Ruby, who by now has stopped her frantic head turning and finger pointing, crosses her arms into an x and says, "Yang, I don't even want to begin on thinking what that was about!" Ruby throws her arms to her side to emphasis her statement.

The raven haired pilot however, can barely get one word out without a laugh escaping her. Ruby can't help but smile and slowly shake her at how much Blake's enjoyment of the situation continues to piss Yang off.

"Oh!" Blake finally manages to get out, but not before coking back another laugh trying to escape. "I have heard Weiss has you whipped, but I didn't think it was _that_ much!"

Yang continue to glare right at her best friend.

"Laugh it up, kitty cat. Laugh it up..."

"If you three are quite done," all three pilots look to Weiss, seeing her standing by the side door. "Perhaps we should meet up with Pyrrha and the others?"

Ruby's face lights up in realization. She completely forgot about the other half of her flight. Weiss, Blake, and Yang trailing behind her.

"Oh, right!" Ruby breaks into a run, passing Weiss and effectively leaving her team in the dust. Once outside, the red themed pilot looks and spots the other four members of Beacon Flight on the other side of the airstrips. Careful to make sure no other aircraft are landing, Ruby runs across, the other pilots merely talking among themselves.

The shortest of the pilots, a short woman with orange hair, turquoise eyes, and a pink flight suit, spots Ruby approach and waves.

"Hiiiiiiiiii Ruuuuuuubes!"

All the other pilots turn in time to see Ruby run up to them. A tall young man with blond hair and blue eyes in a yellow g-suit casually waves to his flight leader.

"What kept ya, Ruby? We've been waiting here for ten minutes."

"Sorry Jaune," Ruby replies, shrugging her shoulders. Blake, Weiss, and Yang arriving in the middle of her sentence. "Girlfriends are top priority after every mission."

The blond man, Jaune, nods with a small smile.

"Yeah," Jaune agrees, looking over to the tall woman of the group, who has red hair, rich green eyes, and a red g-suit like Ruby's. "I understand that."

The red head woman blushes at the man's gaze.

"I'm so happy to hear you regard me so highly, Jaune."

"Of course he does, Pyrrha," the pink suit wearing woman exclaims. "What guy wouldn't put a gal like you at the top of any list?"

Pyrrha displays a bashful look while her boyfriend rubs the back of his neck.

"Oh, I'm not anyone special, Nora," Pyrrha shyly replies.

"Yeah, if you count being the ace pilot of a world renowned flight in a world renowned squadron in the best military group on Earth 'nothing special'," Nora explains, putting up a finger for point she made.

The last of the group, a silent young man with magenta colored eyes, black hair with a pink strip in his bangs, and a green flight suit, turns his attention to Ruby. "Now that we all are here, perhaps we should deliver our debriefing to the Grand Master."

Ruby nods in agreement.

"Ren's right, we should get going. Come on, Beacon flight!"

The eager flight leader nearly runs off again, but a vice grip on her left shoulder from her second-in-command stops her in her tracks.

"We're not teenagers in combat school anymore, Ruby," Weiss addresses sternly. "We don't need to run to our destination."

Ruby looks ashamed, pushing the tip of her index fingers together. "Right… Sorry… Anyway, let's… Let's go..."

More calmly this time, Ruby leads her wingmates into the large military base. The complex itself isn't extravagant by any stretch; the inside being simple white walls with various art pieces depicting either wars or abstract concepts. White fluorescent lights on the ceiling shine down to the white tile floors. The group passes several offices and rooms, none of them paying any mind to them. One room however catches Ruby's attention: The indoor shooting range. Faintly Ruby can gunshots, causing her to smile. The crimsonette knows who it is practicing their shooting, making a mental note to stop by the range when the debriefing is over.

Few more minutes of walking, Beacon flight arrives to their destination. It's a simple brown door with a golden plaque in black bold letters, the text reading:

 **Grand Master Winter Schnee**

Ruby knocks and is answered with a "Come in."

The group enters into the room single file, Ruby up front with the others standing side by side. The office is modest in size, with the walls with a white top half and a wooden bottom half. Hanging on the walls is various paintings that are all winter themed, many ranging from setting of snow landscapes at different time frames like daybreak hours, to raging blizzards. Over to the group's left is a large bookshelf filled to the brim with various books of military tactics, history, and political theories. Across from them is a oak wood desk with what looks to be an expansive computer monitor facing the office's sole occupant at a slanted angle. A large horizontal window behind the desk displays a mountain range off in the distance from the base.

Sitting behind the desk is a woman, older then all of the pilots in the room, wearing a dark gray dress uniform. Her white hair is tied in a bun at the rear left corner of her head, her bangs on the right side falling forward over her face, a small curl lock of hair hangs behind her left ear. Her pale blue eyes lock with Ruby, who along with her flight salute by folding their arms behind their backs, looking upwards at a slight angle.

"Ruby Rose of Beacon flight reporting, Grand Master Schnee."

"At ease," the older woman replies.

The pilots relax their stances but keep their arms folded.

"Report Lt. Cmdr Rose."

"Yes ma'am," Ruby replies. "As per your orders, Beacon flight was scrambled at 0300 hours due to the request by Vale to investigate a bogey spotted on radar over Vale airspace. After searching for over an hour, it was Boxer that discovered an unknown aircraft, which fled, and Lt Cmdr Xiao Long pursued. I arrived soon after and both me and Xiao Long attempted to shoot the enemy down once given permission. Lt Cmdr Belladonna arrived late and was the one that shot down the enemy aircraft."

The Grand Master's expression remains blank, absorbing the information in.

"I see," Winter reponds, her voice calm. "What can you tell me about the aircraft?"

"Ma'am, Lt Cmdr Xiao Long had longer visual contact. I believe she can give you more information then I can, ma'm," Ruby answers.

"Very well," Winter turns her attention to Ruby's older sister. "Lt Cmdr Xiao Long, were you able to identify the aircraft?"

"It was an unknown model, Grand Master," Yang states. "It was colored white and had a delta wing shape. I was unable to spot a cockpit and the size of the craft was smaller then any I've seen before."

This new information causes Winter to narrow her eyes. This slight change of expression on the Grand Master, no matter how small, raises concern for Ruby.

"Anything else?" Winter inquires, her voice unchanged.

"No, ma'am," Ruby answers.

Winter nods. "Very well, then you are dismissed, Beacon flight."

Everybody salutes and is about to turn to leave but Ruby speaks up again. "Permission to speak freely, Grand Master."

The rest of Beacon flight look to their leader, curious to what Ruby wants to say.

"Granted," Winter replies.

"I haven't been able to contact you for the past few days, Winter. Are you still coming to the barbecue tonight?" Ruby asks with a smile.

And to everyone's surprise, Winter returns it with one of her own.

"My apologises, Ruby, but I'm afraid I have to cancel tonight. I want to attend, but this incident has taken up my schedule indefinitely."

The red themed pilot looks down in disappointment at Winter's answer.

"Oh… I was hoping you can finally meet me and Yang's parents. They've been wanting to meet you too."

"I'm truly sorry, Ruby," is all Winter can offer. "I will have to meet them at another date. But please, enjoy the night despite my absence."

Ruby looks up, smile returning. "Okay, I'll let my parents know. Hopefully you can meet them sooner rather then later."

Winter nods. "I look forward to it. Anything else, Ruby?"

The crimsonette shakes her head.

"Very good. Beacon flight, dismissed."

The pilots salute their leader one last time before exiting the room. They respectfully walk down the hall away from Winter's office before Jaune speaks up.

"So," everyone stops and turns to the blond male of the group. "What is this about a barbecue that me or anyone else was invited to?"

Ruby chuckles before addressing her fellow wingmate.

"Right, sorry about that, Jaune. My parents are visiting from Vale and Yang and I are throwing a barbecue for them. I was hoping Winter would attend, what with her and Weiss being part of the family and all."

"So it's strictly family?" Pyrrha inquires.

"Yep," Yang answers, throwing her arm around Weiss, who relaxes into the blonde's warmth. "We're also going to introduce our baes to them. This is the first time they'll meet in person."

"Damn," Jaune slumps forward in disappointment. "I like barbecue..."

Ruby scratches the back of her head. "Yeah, sorry."

"Oh, it's quite all right, Ruby," Pyrrha interjects. "Me and Jaune need to get home anyway. I'm certain Sienna would love to see her father again." The red head turns to her lover. "Right, sweetie?"

Jaune lifts himself up again, placing his right hand on his hip.

"Yeah," he says. "You're right, like usual."

"Lovely," Pyrrha turns back to Ruby. "In any event, enjoy your barbecue, Ruby. Jaune and I will head on home. See you all later."

Jaune and Pyrrha take their leave, the blond giving his farewell over his shoulder. The couple disappears around a corner, causing Nora to speak up next.

"Whelp," Nora bends her back backwards, sighing in satisfaction when she feels her joints pop. "I think me and Ren will head out too. We'll see you later, Rubes."

Nora grabs Ren by the arm and begins to pull him along. "Come on, Hot Stuff."

Just the bubbly pilot drags him away, Ren gives his farewell with a wave. Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Yang wave to the departing pair.

"So," the youngest pilot addresses her sister. "Yang, are you and Weiss heading home too? There's still a few hours before the barbecue."

"Yeah, might as well," Yang answers with a shrug of her shoulders. "Gotta pick up the bae anyway. What about you two?"

"Same. But me and Blake are gonna stop by the indoor range first. See you guys at our apartment later."

"Okey-dokey," Yang fistbumps Ruby. "See you later, Rubes. Adios, Blake."

Weiss nods to the crimsonette. "See in a few hours, Ruby. Farewell, Blake"

The yellow and white couple depart, just leaving the cat faunus and the crimsonette. The raven haired pilot smiles to her young lover, offering her left arm out to her. "Shall we?"

Ruby jokingly bows to Blake. "Most certainly, m'lady Belladonna."

"Just take my arm, you dork." Blake giggles.

Ruby laughs, stands upright, and hooks her right arm with Blake's left. The two jointly head back in the direction of the indoor shooting range.

Sure enough, Ruby can still hear gunshots from inside. Ruby opens the door, Blake following her in. Their first sight is the large horizontal window displaying the shooting range itself. There is only one occupant using the shooting range, a dark skinned woman with mint green hair and red eyes staring down range, in her hands is the S&W Model 327 R8 revolver. The woman empties her cylinder and reloads using a speedloader.

Both Blake and Ruby watch the woman fire her gun, noting how steady her aim is, how quickly she gets back on target from the recoil. They could let her know they are watching, but both simply watch and enjoy the view. The woman empties her cylinder again but doesn't reload, likely due to a lack of ammo. She turns to her right to exit the range and spots her audience. She flinches at first but smiles and shakes her head while walking towards them. As soon as she opens the door into the safe room, Ruby embraces the dark skinned woman.

"Hi, Emmy!" Ruby greets cheerfully.

"Hello, Emerald," Blake approaches.

"You two could have let me know you were here," Emerald states, playfully rolling her eyes at Ruby's affection.

"And miss the view? I don't think so!" Ruby replies, releasing the dark skinned.

Emerald snorts before Blake turns her head to her, capturing her lips in a kiss.

"Are you off duty?" Blake inquires after she separates from her lips from Emerald's.

"Yeah, thirty minutes ago," Emerald answers. "What happened with you guys? Why did they call you so suddenly?"

"Hey!" Ruby pouts. "How come I didn't get any kisses?"

Emerald eyes her smaller girlfriend humorously. Leaning down to her younger girlfriend, Emerald captures Ruby's lips in a searing kiss, holding her in place by placing her left hand behind the crimsonette's head and her right on the small of her back. Ruby is caught off guard at first but quickly follows Emerald's lead, rubbing her hands along her girlfriends arms. The kiss increases in intensity; Emerald quickly adding tongue into the mixture. Ruby reciprocates, the two roaming eachother's bodies with their hands as they get lost in the heat of the moment.

Blake merely stands there, watching the event unfold in front of her. Her eyes dilate and her breathing becomes heavy as she watches her two girlfriends making out. Emerald's hands find Ruby's rear, squeezing it to cause the younger of the three to release a muffled squeal in delight, the sweet sound making Emerald become more forceful in the kiss.

The faunus pilot breaks out of her stupor. Shaking her head clear, Blake decides to break up the moment before it becomes too heated.

"Ahem. Perhaps we should save this for later, girls?"

Both Ruby and Emerald slow down to a halt, both panting for breath as they separate. Emerald sends Blake a dirty look; clearly not amused over her raven haired girlfriend breaking up the moment.

The cat faunus simply smirks at the look she was getting.

"Don't blame me if you two draw unwanted attention."

Emerald sighs and returns the smirk. "Don't act like you weren't turned on by that at all."

Blake's expression turns especially seductive. "I never said I wasn't..."

Ruby, who was dazed by the passionate make out session, snaps out of it and returns to reality.

"Please tell me nobody but Blake saw all that…?"

Emerald and Blake chuckle together, the green haired one of the two kissing the top of the crimsonette's head.

"Just her, babe," Emerald reassures. "But going back to my original question: What was so important that you guys had to be airborne so quickly?"

Blake's expression turns serious as she answers. "A bogey was spotted in Vale airspace close by Heima. To catch it before it could escape, the Grand Master ordered us to intercept it."

Emerald's eyes widen by the news. "Did you guys find it?"

Blake nods. "I shot it down when Yang and Ruby chased it. We don't know who sent it, but I imagine either Vale or command will release info soon, if ever."

"Any idea on where it came from?"

It was Ruby who answers this. "No idea. Yang saw it longer and she said she didn't recognize it."

Emerald furrows her brows over Ruby's statement. "So… You guys wouldn't even know who sent it either, right?"

Both Blake and Ruby nod in confirmation.

"That's… Unsettling…"

"I agree," Blake adds.

The trio stand in silence until Ruby speaks up again.

"Anyway, me and Blake need to change out of our flight suits. You ready to head out, Emmy?"

Emerald suddenly becomes uneasy, holding and rubbing her left arm. "Yeah, uh…."

Both Blake and Ruby look to their girlfriend in confusion. The black and red themed pilots share a look before the cat faunus asks, "Is everything okay, Emerald?"

Emerald fidgets her feet for a few seconds, seeing the concerned looks on her girlfriend's faces. Ruby is getting more worried the longer it took Emerald to answer, Blake placing a comforting hand on the dark skinned woman's right shoulder.

"While you two were gone," Emerald begins, Ruby and Blake listening attentively. "I read up a little bit at the Accords. I was hoping to gather some information on your parents, Ruby..."

Ruby cocks her head to the side. "And?"

Emerald looks to the crimsonette in shock.

" _'_ _And?'_ Ruby, why didn't you tell me your parents were famous Hunters in the Order?!"

Ruby is taken aback by Emerald's increase volume in her voice.

"I didn't think it was important?"

Emerald turns to Blake and back to Ruby in disbelief.

"You didn't think it was important to tell me that your parents were part of Fireteam Stark?! The same Stark that served in the Sotoan War?! Who raided a Sotoan nuclear facility and proved Sotoa was producing nuclear weapons?!"

Ruby simply stands there, tapping her index fingers together.

"Yeah, they did do that, didn't they…?"

"Ruby!" Emerald exclaims. "I'm meeting your parents for the first time tonight! Your parents are fucking war heroes, and when they find out about me they will-"

"Emmy! Emmy! Emmy!"

Emerald stops her rant when Ruby takes her hands into her own.

"Don't worry about it!" she explains. "I promise my parents will love you! Just because they're famous doesn't mean they're up on some pedestal!"

Emerald doesn't look convinced. "But when they find out about me they'll-"

"They don't need to know anything you don't want them to know."

Blake moves in front of Emerald, taking her chin and lifting her head up to meet the faunus' eyes.

"Take it from me, Ruby's parents will love you," Blake says, a smile stretched across her face. "I've known them for years and I can assure you that they will not hate you. Their status as war heroes is nothing to worry about."

Emerald sees the reassurance in Blake and looking to Ruby she sees the same. Emerald takes a breath, and smiles to her two girlfriends.

"All right… If you both say so..."

"Yay!" Ruby cheers, nearly tackling Emerald to ground from her bear hug. "Trust me, they're going to you, Emmy!"

Emerald returns the embrace before Ruby breaks away. The crimsonette walks over to the door, turning to her girlfriends and gestures them to follow.

"Now come on," she says. "That barbecue isn't going to prepare itself!"

Both Blake and Emerald exchange looks with their eyes, amused over their girlfriend's chipper nature. The trio leaves the shooting range and heads to the locker room, ready to begin their night together.

 **I don't do author's notes often, but I feel this needs to be said.**

 **I first would like to apologize to everybody who followed my other RWBY story, Stardust. Because of unforeseen circumstances and how long it took to publish updates, I have lost interest in that story. I felt it better to scrap that story, save any assets from it, and recycle them into a new story,** **namely this one. Again, I apologize to any and all I have disappointed.**

 **And sorry for the quality of this chapter. I've been struggling to get this thing published and sacrificed quality to get it out ASAP. I'll go back and edit this chapter later, I promise.**

 **Also, a major thank you to my good friend, Ariex. If it weren't for this guy I might have given up on writing fanfics a long time ago. He's been there for me for a long ass time, being encouraging and supportive. Go read this guy's Winds of War story, seriously it's an amazing piece.**

 **That said, if you want to stay up to date on this story or just have questions or maybe want to demand where the next chapter is, go check out the RWBY forums on this site and look for a topic under the name "When Heaven Burns: A RWBY/Ace Combat Story". I'll be sure to check there frequently and let you guys know how the next chapter is coming and answer any questions you have on this world I built for this story.**

 **Thank you guys for your support, and please review and provide feedback on this story. Have a good night.**


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